A Rose's Thorns
by victorious1314
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin and Belle have a daughter named Rose that no one knows about. Not even Rumple himself. This is set in season 1 while Belle is still in the asylum. Rose lives on the street when Emma finds her and news gets out about her. But she has had a hard life and that has left her scarred. Will anyone be able to save her from herself of will she continue to spiral downwards?
1. Chapter 1

**A Rose's Thorns**

By: victorious_1314

_**AU: **__Hi Guys! This is my first Once Upon a Time fan fiction. I haven't written in a while because I'm been for the lack of updates! But I'm actually excited for this story! I hope you enjoy it too. Please __**do not **__continue if you are a minor or are easily offended. This story will contain non-explicit sexual abuse, explicit self harm, drug abuse, and just a bunch of dark themes. It's going to be a sad, triggering experience if you read it but you will love this story if you're into drama! :P ~victorious_1314 _

**Rose POV**

I'm not quite sure how any of this began. I'm not even sure why I'm doing this. I push those thoughts from my head and continue to run through the alleyways of Storybrooke, away from the sirens. I mostly hang out around the docks and around the town bar hoping to get some money by a wasted man who doesn't even know remember his own name due to the alcohol consumption. That way he cannot remember my face or question my age.

He can however, pay me after I'm done doing what I've done for what feels like centuries. But I'll get into that another time. I know this town like the back of my hand. Though nobody even knows I exist I know just about everyone's name and story. I continue to run through a particularly dark alleyway and trip over a box that I didn't even know was there until my face is slammed against the pavement.

I hear a car door slam, I can see my vision darken and the blue and red lights of the police car shine in the dark puddle next to my bleeding face. I mentally scold myself for falling. I've done this for so long I lost count of the days. I've gotten myself out of the tightest situations just to be taken out by a box. I hear footsteps and a female yell from behind me.

That confuses me because there is only one police officer in Storybrooke, Graham. Maybe it's a pedestrian who stumbled across my injured body and is just calling for help. I try to turn to see who it could be but as soon as I move there is a shooting pain in my face and my head continues to throb. I welcome the darkness that consumes me.

I wake up in a white room. My eyelids feel heavy and I can't move my head. My arms and legs feel as though they are tied to the bed and a sudden burst of adrenaline rushes through me and my eyes shoot open. I look at my body and it is covered in a white blanket. I finally call enough energy to move my limbs and I sigh and lean back into the pillows.

I feel a pressure on my wrist and see a tube connected to my arm and a pouch of clear fluid. Then all the memories come rushing back to me like a slap in the face. _I'm in a hospital_, I realize. They know I exist and they will not hesitate to put me into the foster care system. I start to hyperventilating and a beeping machine besides me starts beeping louder and more often.

I rip the IV out of my arm a bit painfully and start taking off random tubes and bandages. A doctor rushes into the room with a few nurses along with a woman in a red leather jacket who looks particularly confused. I see a badge attached to her belt and I start loosing it even further. The nurses hold me still and the doctor forces me to look at him, "Hello, Ma'am?"

I stop struggling when it registers in my brain that he might protect me.

"Ma'am I need you to calm down. We're not here to hurt you. We just want to help you and ask a few questions." He speaks so earnestly and I feel my body relax though my breathing is still off and I'm still making little hiccupping noises. One nurse gets me a cup of water and I feel tears start to dry on my cheeks when I hadn't even realized that I was crying in the first place.

The doctor stands next to where I'm sitting up on the bed and shines a light in my eye and makes me touch my finger to my nose.

"Alright, all done. I'm going to go now but the Sheriff is going to talk to you now, okay?"

I nod though I furrow my brow in confusion. _What happened to Graham?_ I shake off the thoughts and look towards the woman who is now attempting to smile warmly at me.

"Hello, my name is Emma Swan. I'm the Sheriff of Storybrooke." She takes a few steps closer and sits on the foot of the hospital bed. I curl up and wrap my arms around my legs tightly.

"What's your name?"

I freeze. I am uncertain if I should tell her my real name. How can I trust these people when I've spent so long running from them. When my mom left I just ran as if someone was telling me to. It was a very drastic decision for a 10-year-old but it happened.

I would've gone and sought out my grandfather who my mother rarely told me about but I was afraid I would be rejected. I am a coward in that sense.

"Rose." I say with a shaky, meek voice. I drink some more water to try to cool the hotness from the anxiety that is spreading all through my body. I chose not to lie about my name because I see no reason to. Nobody would even know my name. I can use fake names later.

Emma nods in understanding and smiles, "What about your last name?"

I turn my head in the opposite direction. I wasn't that comfortable around this stranger yet. I hear her sigh and I look back at her. I have the urge to smile madly. I always do that in awkward moments and it causes me to get into trouble. I suppress my urge and twiddle my thumbs.

"You know you gave us all a scare back there. Why were you running, Rose?" She says this as though she pities me. I can see right through it though. Nobody could have pity for someone as worthless as me.

"I was scared." I reply simply.

"How old are you?"

I feel my breath get caught in my throat. _If I tell her that I'm 16 she's ask where my parents are and then I'll be sent away for sure. _"I'm 18" I lie. She looks into my eyes making the floor look rather interesting all of a sudden and she shakes her head, "How old are you?" She asks again.

I feel my ears grow hot and I mumble, "16" under my breath so quietly I didn't know if she could hear me.

The blonde Sheriff sighs again and I feel a throbbing feeling inside my skull. I press my hand to my forehead and make a small whimpering noise. "You should probably rest, you had the fall last night. We'll continue this conversation later." She didn't say the last part in a threatening way but in the way of someone who was genuinely tired.

She stands up and the bed makes a creaking noise. She leaves so fast my pounding head can't even make sense of it. A nurse comes back in and hooks me up to another IV bag which she explains is pain medication and I fall into a deep sleep.

**Emma POV**

It's been a long day. From chasing down lost dogs to dealing with Regina's strict rules on what times I'm allowed to see Henry. I feel awful for the kid. The way me and Regina have been going at it must be messing him up. I cringe at the thought and sit down at my desk. This used to be Graham's desk.

I groan and put my head in my hands as I remember holding his lifeless body. The phone rings and I roll my eyes as I answer it. "Hello Storybrooke Police, Do you need assistance?" A shaking woman's voice answers, "Oh thank heavens. I'd like to report a suspicious character. There has been a girl standing in the alleyway next to my apartment building for several hours now. Like she's waiting for someone."

"Alright may I ask whose calling?" The woman gives me her name and address and before I know it I'm driving down to the docks. I arrive at the apartment building. Her building is right next to a bar, of course there is going to be suspicious characters. I scoff and quietly reach the alleyway which I believe the woman was talking about.

I use my flashlight and come face to face with a girl who looks no older than 17. Her eyes go wide and she looks like a deer in headlights. She is dressed in a black hoodie and ripped jeans. Her hair is long ad brown and is only a bit lighter than the rich brown shade of her eyes.

Then she takes off running, and I'm not talking about a light jog, this girl goes into a full sprint and is almost out of eyesight before I can even get in my police car again. I knew I wouldn't be able to outrun her with the distance she has already made between us so I start my car as fast as i can and turn on my sirens.

When I asked for something interesting to happen today I wasn't asking for a police chase. She makes several sharp turns as she cuts across lawns and parking lawns but I remain one step ahead of her. With my experience from years of hunting people down I can predict her every turn and thought. After about 5 minutes of this I am actually quite impressed with myself.

She runs into an alleyway that looks like a dead-end. I decide to quickly get out of the car and begin chasing her on foot. I close the car door and draw out my gun when I hear a squeal and a smacking noise. I run into the alleyway and almost step on the girls sprawled out body on the concrete. I yell out for her to get up but when I see that there is no chance of that happening I call the hospital to send an ambulance.

I give them my exact coordinates from my GPS and they are here within 3 minutes. I am holding the girl's unconscious body and pass her on to the paramedics as I explain what happened to her. I get a look at the girls face in the street lights and see that her nose is bleeding and she has a deep gash across her forehead. I go to where she fell and see that it was a broken bottle that created that wound.

They load her up on the ambulance and drive away with their sirens on. I follow them in my car and don't even have time to think about what just happened. We are almost immediately at the hospital and they are desperately trying to stop the bleeding from her forehead which now looks much worse than it originally did. They bring her into a room where there are no windows and I just sit in a chair outside of the door. I wring my hands and see Mary Margret walking down the hall.

"Emma! What's going on? All of the nurses are taking about an emergency!"

My friend Mary Margret volunteers at the hospital and I am currently living with her. She's a very kind and understanding girl and I have grown to trust her, which I rarely do.

"I don't know what's happening anymore. I was called out because of a report on a suspicious character and in turned into a police chase!" I shake my head and look at my shoes, "She tripped and fell in an alleyway and got badly injured."

Mary Margret gasped and sat down beside a long silence she put her hand on my shoulder and said, "It's not your fault you know? You were just doing your job. She decided to run."

"She's a kid. No older than 17 or 18."

Mary Margret sighs and looks at the shiny white hospital floor. "Well then we'll just have to help her! She had to have a reason for running."

I nod my head slowly becoming aware at just how tired I am.

"C'mon lets go home. You've had a long day." Mary Margret stands up and offers her hand to me. I take it and the next thing I know I'm collapsing on my bed and drifting off to sleep as I think about dark alleyways.


	2. Chapter 2

** A Rose's Thorns Chapter 2**

By: victorious_1314

**AU:**_ Hello! I am very excited to continue this story! I didn't think I would get as many reads as I did so fast! I did not expect to come home and see that I have 73 reads, 6 followers, and 3 favorites! Thank you for all the support after __just one day!__ Well without further adieu here is chapter 2! :D P.S. This chapter might be a little shorter ~victorious1314_

**Rose's POV**

I wake up again and look around the plain white room. There is a small vase of yellow flowers at my bedside. I ponder who could have sent me them, or more likely who would've cared enough to buy them for me. My thoughts are cut short when a nurse with red hair brings in a tray of food with a smiling face.

I know it's a forced smile yet I eagerly smile back as the pains in my stomach remind me how hungry I am. She places the salmon pink tray on a table next to my bed and she pushes it as close to me as it will go. I immediately grab the fork and begin shoveling potatoes and various vegetables into my mouth. I don't even stop to count the calories like I usually do.

She watches me eat for a few seconds. I stop eating and look at her awkwardly.

"Oh! Sorry. I was just going to ask if you needed help in the shower or bathroom?"

I look back down at my food and continue to shovel the food into my mouth at a blinding speed. I stop when there is nothing left but a suspiciously mushy block of meat. I sigh and drink some water then nod and swing my legs over the bed.

"I don't need help but can you show me where the bathroom is?"

She nods and helps me balance on my wobbly legs. She brings me to a door that I hadn't even noticed on the other side of the room and I feel like an idiot.

"One second sweetie, I'm just going to get you some towels." She smiles again and I am left standing at the entrance of the bathroom. I open the door and walk into a room with orange tile on the floor and white walls. There is a sink and a small mirror on one side of the room and a toilet with a large shower on the other side.

I walk over to the mirror and a strike of fear runs through me as I see my appearance. I almost don't believe it is my own for a moment. My forehead heavily bandaged and I have dark circles around my eyes. I hear a knock at the door and the red-headed nurse pushes her way into the room.

She has a dull pink bucket in her hands and a towel and hospital gown in the other. I look down to see that I am wearing a loose-fitting, blue patterned gown that ties up in the back.

"Here you go!" She says as she hands me the towel and gown. "I just went ahead and got you some other basic necessities while I still remembered to." She grins and places the plastic bin on the metal counter near the sink. She suddenly looks grim and looks at my bandages, "You required stitches on your forehead but that dressing on your head is waterproof. You should still avoid getting too much water on it though."

I look nod and look towards the shower, longing to be under the hot streams and be alone to my thoughts.

"Well, if you need help I will be right outside of the door. So just yell and I'll come in." She leaves the room and I shed my garment and after much struggling I manage to get the water at the temperature that I want it. I slowly ease myself in and let the water hit the back of my head and roll off my back. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to think of what to do. I feel a burning sensation on my left arm and look down to see that I still had somewhat new cuts from the other night on there.

The doctors and nurses assuredly saw the long red lines that bit into my pale flesh. I groan at the humiliation and lean my head against the condensating tile wall of the shower. The rest of my shower goes by in a blur. I shampoo my hair and wash my body. I even wash the area of the cuts and lean my head back in bliss as the stinging sensation strikes throughout my body.

I finish up my shower and dry off my body. My arms are bleeding a bit from the friction of the towel but I quickly put on my dress and tie it up in the back as best I can. I get back into the room to see the nurse changing my bedding. She smiles at me in greeting and asks if I need anything as I lay back down. I shake my head and she turns on the TV to some dancing show.

I begin shaking and realize that I am cold. I pull the white blanket over me and try to get into the show. I can't quite focus though. I feel the need to change the channel and look around for the remote. I cannot find it and see that the buttons to change the channel are on the television itself.

I get up and slip my feet into some slippers on the ground that I hadn't even apprehended were there. I get to the TV but it is too high up for me to reach. There is a shelf below it that looks like if it were to be climbed properly someone could reach the buttons with ease. I begin to do just that. I start climbing up the shelf and reach out for the buttons. I finally hit the channel button and it switches to a baseball game.

I scrunch up my nose and reach out again but this time the shelf wobbles. My heart races and I wait until it is completely still. I finally extend my arm again and hit the button and it changes to a sitcom that I think I have seen before. I sigh in relief that the shelf didn't rupture under my weight. I am almost about to climb down when I hear the door open and my body jerks out of surprise from the sudden sound and I lose my grip.

I wobble for a millisecond and find myself falling to the ground. I brace for a painful impact but it never happens. Instead I fall into the arms of somebody. I look and see it is the Sheriff who questioned me before, Emma Swan. I sigh in relief as she helps me get my bearings and stand up straight.

"What were you thinking?" She yells, "You could have gotten seriously injured! Like more than you are already..." She runs her hand through her hair and I look up shelf and hear some studio laughter from the sitcom that I turned on.

"I'm sorry. I've never been this clumsy, you know... except for last night." I trail off and zone out on my slippers.

"It's fine. You just scared me."

There is an awkward silence that last for far too long for my liking.

She shakes her head as if to wave off the tenseness that is consuming the room us, "Well I just wanted to come in here to continue our conversation from earlier."

I slowly move to the bed and sit on the edge as she pulls up a chair in front of me. I sigh quietly trying to calm the erratic beating of my heart and regulate my now ragged breathing.

"Rose, I know this is difficult so I'm just going to start out with simple questions." She pauses, waiting for my confirmation for her to continue. When I give her none she purses folds her hands and advances anyways.

"Are you from Storybrooke?" She pulls out a pad of paper and a pencil as she begins speaking. I nod slightly and she scribbles on the paper before moving on.

"Do you know where your parents are?"

I feel my stomach drop and my bottom lip quivers. I try not to think about my mom's disappearance. When I was 10 she just didn't come home one day. Everything went as it did everyday, she didn't act any different. We had finished my home-schooling and she went out for groceries. I remained at home while I read my favorite book.

I wasn't much of a people person so she was used to leaving me at home. We lived in a little cabin in the woods of Storybrooke. We didn't have neighbors for at least a mile. I remember waiting for three hoarse before I became concerned. I just assumed that she took the long way home to enjoy the wilderness landscape.

I recall falling asleep waiting for the sound of the door opening and the feel of her kissing my cheek to say goodnight without fully waking me. I woke up cold in my bed the next morning.

I banish these thoughts from my head and look back up at Emma. "No." I say in a broken whisper. I scold myself for sounding so weak in front of a complete stranger, yet I cannot stop the cloudy liquid that fills my eyes making everything blurry.

I hear her shift positions and as I force the tears from my eyes so I can see again she pushes a tissue box into my hands while offering a smile. I have the urge to trust this woman. I take the tissues and wipe the tears off my cheeks and jaw line. I take a deep breath and look into her eyes as if telling her to advance with her questions.

"Have you ever known your parents?" She asks as though I am a runaway orphan from a foster home.

"My mom, She disappeared when I was 10." I say emotionless_. I will not break down in front of her again_, I decide.

"Who have you been staying with?" She asks after writing more on the paper.

I clench my jaw and look at my hand which is clutching the bed so hard my knuckles are white, "No one." I state simply through partially clenched teeth. I look back at her to see her looking at me strangely. "You couldn't have been on your own, right?" She looks at me with her head tilted to the side.

I say nothing and allow the Sheriff to let the information I just told her sink in.

"How?" She asks in awe. I play with a strand of my hair that fell out into my lap and bite my lip, "By not tripping over boxes." I meant it in a humorous way but it seems to upset her.

"Why did you run?" She finally inquires. I sigh and lean back so my feet don't touch the floor. I stare into her eyes in a way that probably made her feel stupid. "I've run for 6 years of my life to stay out of the foster care system... I wasn't going to just surrender myself because a police officer shined a bright light in my face and told me to stop."

She smiled a bit, "You are going to be discharged tomorrow. You can stay with me. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you never are put in a foster home." She has such sincerity in her voice that I believe her. She leaves the room and talks in the hallway with the doctor about legal protocol and I lay back into my pillows and watch the television.

The sitcom that I put on isn't on anymore and is instead replaced with a reality show. I stare at the flashing colors of the TV without really watching it.


	3. Chapter 3

** A Rose's Thorns Chapter 3**

By: victorious_1314

**AU:**_ Hello again! Thank you guys for all of the positive feedback for the last chapter :D I love hearing what you think about my work. I am happy with this story and can't wait to write more! Sorry it took me a week to updat x_x I've just been very busy with school! :'( ~victorious1314_

**Rose's POV**

I'm going home with Emma Swan today. She came to visit me last night to explain that she is living with another person who is fine with me living there. I met the woman who is named, Mary Margret. She was sweet and gentle but I felt uneasy when I looked into her eyes. They almost appeared to look haunted, like she was is lost.

I ignored the unsettleing feeling that she caused me and exchanged plesantries with her. She then went on to assure me that she was going to help me, that her home is now home, and to not be nervous. I agreed and forced myself to smile. We talked about our interests, our favorite movies, our preferences, etc for about an hour until she realized that I was fatiuged and could barely keep my eyes open. She amiably apologized for keeping me up and said that her and Emma would pick me up tomorrow afternoon then she left.

I was finally alone. I felt a shiver down my spine and clenched my fists together, digging my nails into my flesh until it felt numb. I was just about to begin sobbing when I heard a knock at the door. I stiffened.

"Come in!" I yelled, trying to keep my voice steady. A woman with dark hair and brown eyes entered the room. She looked over at me with curiosity.

"My name is Regina, I'm the Mayor." She immediatly set me on edge. I knew very well who she was. I'd seen her around town before. I'd peered at her from behind buildings though I'd never spoken to her. I had also heard much about her from other people's conversations. Aparently she was not the nicest Mayor. It wasn't just this knowlege that made me distressed, there was a look in her eyes just like Mary Margret had, though hers was not somber and lost, her's was angry and vengeful.

I didn't know how I knew this but I did know that I wanted to be as far away as possible from Regina. Instead of running away or ignoring her I decided to try to get on her good side.

"Hello, my name is Rose." I offered a friendly smile but it was not returned. I felt anxiety wrap tightly around my heart.

"Yes I know. Now Rose I'm here because I thought I knew just about everyone in this little town. Though I don't know you." She looked distressed when she admited to not having complete knowledge over everything.

"I lived with my mother in the woods until I was 10. Then I lived on the streets." I said as bluntly as I could manage. I wanted this conversation over with so she would just leave me be. She made a "tsk" noise and it made me want to drop my head in shame.

"How did you survive out there Rose?" She looked at me wickedly and smiled, "How could you have eaten or survived the winters without money or a place to sleep? Oh, but I'm sure you kept yourself warm in drunken men's beds."

I knew she was just trying to hurt me and showing pain would just give her what she wanted but I couldn't stop the darkness that clouded over my brain and the lump that formed in my throat. She hit me where it hurt. I turned away and clenched my jaw so hard I heard a high pitched ringing noise in my ears. She watched me wallow in my internal pain for a few seconds longer until she strided back out the door.

After about 30 minutes of bawling my eyes out I realized that I had given her what she came for, my weakness.

Now I'm in the shower trying to wash away the misery that the Mayor's words gave me. I haven't so weak since my childhood. My mother's departure has left me emotionally hard and calloused. As have many other negative events in my life.

How could have the Mayor known about my prostitution? It's my darkest secret. I don't even think half the men I've slept with know because they were so wasted. I sigh and finish washing my hair and body. The cuts are still there but are a bit more pink now. My body has far too many scars to count.

My arms looks like I was in some sort of horrendous freak accident and my legs have angry pink lines that reach down to my knees. My ankles are also awfully maimed. I have been cutting ever since I was 11 when I mentally grasped that my mom wasn't coming home. I needed to feel something and it just registered in my brain that pain was the only thing I can make myself feel.

It started with a broken bottle, then a pin, then a knife, then a shaving razor blade and pocket knife. I grimince when I remember that my purse which holds those things is behind a garbage bin. I get out of the shower and dry myself off as best I can with the irritating bandage on my forehead and brush my teeth and still damp hair. I stare into the mirror and try to make my hair look presentable.

I sift through the bin of toiletries that the nurse gave me and find a hair band. I put my thick brown hair into a side ponytail and stare at myself in the mirror for longer than necessary. My eyes are a rich brown color with a goldish rim around the pupil that I used to think was supposed to be my soul when I was a child. I almost smile at the memory of me asking my mother if it was my ghost and she laughed and told me I was adorable. I didn't understand it at the time and just continued believing that it was my soul.

My mom had blue eyes which meant that I got my eyes from my never-present father. I have no memories of my mother talking about him and I only remember asking about him once. She said, "Some children have one Mommy and no daddy, some children have one Daddy and no Mommy, some have both, and some have two Mommies or two Daddies." I didn't press on the subject because of the pain that was in her eyes when she told me this. I was also perfectly fine with just living with my mom.

I turn away from the mirror and go back into the room. There is a pile of clothes on top of the small cabinet next to the bed. I walk over to see it has a note on it. The note reads, "Hey Rose! I came in and heard you in the shower so I just left a pile of clothes for you to wear! I'm going to work now but I'll be here by 3:00 pm with Emma so we can bring you home! ~Mary Margret"

I feel a pang of guilt because all I will bring upon them is pain, thats why my mother left. The thought of someone caring about me is so much of a burden. It's feels like being trapped becuase inevitably I will just be a disappointment and a misuse of energy. I change into the clothes which is a white button up long-sleeved shirt and a pair of blue jeans. I was given back my bra and underwear because those were the only things that weren't terribly stained with blood.

I sit back on the bed and watch the news which is talking about some famous actor that I've never heard of that passed away recently. I hear a light rap at the door and a doctor that I haven't seen before come in with a tight smile. He has dark brown hair and looks like he's in his mid-thirties. His eyes are so dark I cannot tell where his pupil begins or ends. There is a clip-on name tag on his white doctor's jacket that says, Liam Archer.

"Hi, I'm Liam. You must be Rose." He sits on one of the chairs closest to my bed. I sit up and push some of my dark hair that had fallen in front of my face behind my ear. I nod and manage a faint smile.

"I've been meaning to talk to you but you needed your rest. I'm the psychatrist at this hospital." My stomach drops. He continues, "I've heard from some of the other doctors that when you first came in they noticed some scars, bruises, and cuts all over your body. I was hoping we could talk about that a bit."

I suddenly feel dizzy and realize that I haven't been breathing. I inhale sharply after what feel like an eternity of struggling with what to say. Instead he senses my discomfort and says, "I know this is very difficult to talk about. I just want you to know that you have supports, people who want to help you."

"Thanks, but I don't need supports. I haven't even done _that_ in a long time."

His smile vanishes into a look of confusion, "They told me that you had recent looking cuts on your arms."

I cringe and keep lying through my teeth, "I think they were mistaken. I haven't done it in at least a year."

He folds his hands in his lap, "Well I see we aren't going to be getting anywhere today. I've set up one appointment a week for us to chat. Emma will bring you here on Fridays and we can chat for an hour. Hopefully you'll be more open with me next session." He sighs and stands up. "This wasn't an official session, I just wanted to get to know you." He walks over to the bed and stretches out his hand as if he expected me to shake it. I flinch and turn away. He gives me a sad smile that I see only from the corner of my eyes and he leaves.

When he is gone I curl into a fetal position on the bed and can't quite summon the emotional or physical energy to cry. I stay like that for one hour until Mary Margret comes into the room. I sit up and pet down my hair which is now slipping out of the ponytail I put it in earlier. She comes over and gives me a pair of white sneakers, "Sorry I forgot to give you these earlier! I hope you like them!" I smile and put them on over my fuzzy hospital socks.

"I love them, thank you." I stand up and I finally leave the awful white hospital room. The hallways of the hospital are a beige color and the floors are so shiny I can almost see my reflection in them. Emma is waiting at the nurses station signing some papers. She smiles in my direction and I walk up to her with Mary Margret.

"Hey, Rose! I'm just filling out the last of the papers that allows you to stay with us." She returns to the paper work and I zone out on the clock above the nurse's desks.

"All done. Lets get you out of here." Emma begins walking out and I follow closely behind. We go down in the elevator and walk out the front of the hospital enterance. I am greeted with a cold autum breeze. There is a very small yellow car pulled up alongside the curb and we get in. I sit in the back.

"Are you hungry?" Mary Margret asks. I consider this but my decision is made when I feel a deep rumble in my stomach. I nod, "Yes, a little."

"Have you ever gone to Granny's?" Emma asks.

"No. My mom always cooked." I have gotten food from Granny's from my customers as payment before but no, I've never _been _to Granny's. I lean back into the leather seat and look out the car window at the changing trees. Autum is my favorite season because of the colors.

Within five minutes we pull into a small parking lot and Mary Margret happily announces the we're "here." We walk into the diner and I feel anxiety surge through me when I realize that there are _people _here. My heart feels tight and everyone looks towards us before continuing their meals except for a man sitting alone at the last of the booths. He is an older man with shoulder length brown hair.

He has a cane laying across the space next to him and he is dressed in a suit. I am snapped from my trance by a girl with red streaks in her black hair.

"Hi, I'm Ruby!" She says in my direction. She looks over at Emma and Mary Margret, "Do you guys want a booth or a table?" I hear Emma murmer something but I don't care enough to hear it. I'm looking at the man again. _It's his eyes! Where have I seen them before?_ I follow Emma and we sit down at a booth in the opposite corner from the man. He's still staring at me with awe.

I bite my lip and try to concentrate on the menu in front of me. He must think I'm someone else. Nobody knows me, I'm not even interesting. _Maybe he knew mom_. I dig my nails into my palms until I can just focus on the pain instead of the man's eyes burning holes into the back of my head or the questions that are giving me a migrane.

I order a cheeseburger and fries with a coke even though I am suddenly no longer hungry. I feel on the brink of a panic attack when the man stands up and walks over to our booth. Emma looks up with suspicion and Mary Margret does her signature friendly grin that makes everything seem okay.

"What do you want, Gold" Emma say, aggitated. He leans on his cane and smiles.

"Well I just wanted to introduce myself to the girl I have heard so much about." _Shit._ People have been talking about me? I thought this kind of stuff was supposed to be confidential. I conseal my alarm and smile softly at him.

"My name is Mr. Gold, dearie." He extends his free hand and I shake it, "I'm Rose." I sound so weak that I want to slam my face against the table out of embarassment.

"I own the antique store down the street." He says. I knew who Mr. Gold was of course. I'd heard about him from many tipsy males who were trying to drink away their debts to him. I knew he was supposed to be a hard, irrational man but he looks seemingly normal right now. I also know what antique store he is talking about. I've slept in the alley next to it before.

"Cool." I say trying not to make it awkward but failing horribly. I turn away to eat a french fry and see him out of the corner of my eye watching me with that peculiar expression again.

"Well, it was very nice meeting you, Rose." He smiles again and I politely wave at him as he exits the diner. I barely listen to the conversation that Mary Margret and Emma are trying to have with me because I suddenly realize where I've seen his eyes before. Now that I've seen Mr. Gold up-close I recognise his eyes. I saw them earlier today, In the mirror.


	4. Chapter 4

** A Rose's Thorns Chapter 4**

By: victorious_1314

**AU:**_ Hello people! I'm so happy to put up the 4th chapter!I didn't think this series would get this far honestly o.O I did not think you guys would actually like it but you do I will continue writing :D Also I love reading reviews from you to hear your ideas on what you think should happen next and how you are liking the story so far :) Don't be shy! :P ~victorious1314_

**Rose's POV**

_I feel pain radiate through my body and I let out a blood-curdling scream. It's dark though and nobody can hear me. I feel his hot breath against my neck and he laughs in my ear. I start going numb when he rolls off me and lights a cigarette. I don't even try to cover myself up, I just lay there and feel hot tears roll from my eyes to my hair and ears. _

_ "Fucking slut." The man mutters as he gets up from the bed, leaving me there. He's pulling up his jeans when I feel my hand tighten around an empty beer bottle. Before I can even think about what I'm doing I bring it down onto the man's head. The now broken glass splinters in my hand but I am satisfied when he crumbles to the ground. _

_ He is only knocked out so I grab the knife in his pocket and swiftly cut his throat. I cut it so fast that at first all I see is white and a yellow color inside of the deep wound and I turn him over so I don't have to see him begin to bleed. He makes a gurgling noise and I reach into his pockets and take the his money and leave him there to bleed out. _

_ He won't hurt me again._

I wake with a start and try to steady my breathing. I try to tell myself that it was only a nightmare but that isn't true, that actually happened. I look around the small room in the upstairs of Mary Margret's apartment. It is more than I deserve and I am very grateful. I came to the residence right after we finished eating at Granny's. After I saw Mr. Gold. I must have seen things, he cannot have the same eyes as me. My eyes are so unique that someone would have to be related to me to have the same one's.

No one in this little town is related to me, that's what my mother said. _Unless she lied, unless he's your father._ I grit my teeth trying to force the voice that visits me in times of great distress out of my head. _Even if he is your father he would never accept a whore like you. You are disgusting._

I entangle my hair with my fingers and sigh in defeat as I succumb to the darkness of my mind. _Do you honestly think that anybody could love you? Why do you think your mother left... she left because you are a disappointment. You should kill youse-_ The voice is cut short by a knock at the door. I flatten down my hair and wipe away a few fallen tears.

"Come in." I say softly. Mary Margret comes in and the smell of pancakes drifts in the room from the kitchen. She smiles and I do my best to smile back.

"It's so dark in here!" She opens the white curtains on the window next to my bed. Light pours in the room and the white carpet becomes lighter and the previously dark blue walls turn sky blue. There is a maple colored vanity across the room and I can now see my reflection in the large mirror above it.

"I made pancakes if you want some. I have to go to work now so you'll be going to work with Emma today down at the station. She'll probably leave in an hour. I'll see you later okay?" She comes over to hug me and I awkwardly accept it. "Have a great day!" She then leaves and I am left alone in the now too bright room.

I get out of the bed and look through the dresser where Mary Margret put clothes for me last night. I find a grey hoodie and a pair of jeans. I go to the bathroom in the hall and brush my teeth with my new toothbrush and stare in the mirror for about five minutes. I'm not happy with what I see so I look through the cabinets next to the sink and find a make-up bag. I don't think Mary Margret will mind if I just use a little.

I cover the bags under my eyes with concelear and put on way to much mascara. I sift through the bag and find a tube of clear lip gloss and put that on too. I finally brush out my hair and put my hood up. There is a small bath and shower on the other side of the bathroom but I decide against it because I've already gotten ready and don't want to waste any more of Mary Margret's products.

I put on the white sneakers and go downstairs. Emma is eating a pancake drowned in maple syrup. She smiles when she sees me and I smile back as best I can.

"Hey Rose." She says when she finished chewing her food. "I'm just about ready to go. I'm going to walk my son to school before we go to the station though. Would you be okay joining us?"

I nod, "I didn't know you had a son." I don't remember seeing a boy in the house.

"Oh yeah, that's because he lives with his adoptive mother at the moment. You know Regina, right? The Mayor." I feel physically ill suddenly.

Regina is the only one that knows my secret. If that got out then I would have nowhere to go. Instead of flipping out I smile politely, hoping I don't have to see Regina. Emma wipes her mouth with her napkin and puts her plate in the sink, "Well, I'm ready to go if you are."

I shake my head, indicating that I'm ready. We leave and get into the same yellow car from yesterday. I fold my hands in my lap and look out the window. We arrive at a large white house that I assume is the Mayor's home and a boy come out the front door with a backpack that almost looks too big for him.

He gets in the back of the car and I smile at him. He smiles back, a little caught off guard by my presence. Emma senses this, "Henry this is, Rose. Rose, this is Henry smiles a big toothy grin and extends his hand, "Nice to meet you Rose!"

I shake his hand back, "You too Henry." He's much more outgoing than I was when I was his age. "Rose is staying with me and Mary Margret for the time being." Emma says while looking briefly into the car's mirror to look at him.

I cross my legs and lean my head on the window for the rest of the drive until we arrive at the elementary school. Henry gets out of the car, "By Mom! Bye Rose!"

We wave back and we start driving to the station. We get there and when we are inside Emma pulls up a chair with wheels for me to sit on, "I really don't have anything for you to do. Would you be comfortable with running over to Granny's across the street to grab doughnuts?"

_She's just trying to get rid of you._

I nod and she gives me a 20 dollar bill. I get outside and feel anxiety squeeze my stomach and make me feel hot even though it is 50 degrees out. I walk across the cross-walk and walk into Granny's. The bell above the door chimes and I suddenly feel dizzy. The same girl from yesterday, Ruby, walks up to me.

"Hi Rose. What can I get for you?" She speaks to me in almost a patronizing tone that makes me slightly angry.

"A box of doughnuts, please." I force my voice to stay steady even though my head is swimming. I feel like I was just spinning around for ten minutes. "What kind of doughnuts do you want?" She asks.

"I don't really care, just throw whatever in there." She smiles and leaves. I'm left standing there, feeling like I'm going to puke. There are only a couple of other people in here, none that I know, but I feel like all of their eyes are on me.

_Everyone is watching you. Act normal. Don't let them know what a freak you are. _

The taunting voice gets louder every other word it speaks until it almost to loud to bear. I grip my hand of a chair next to me. Why isn't she back yet?

_She's probably already forgot about your order. She has more important things to do than wait on you. _

I feel my palms become slick with sweat and the floor seems to sway. I feel someone whisper words that I cannot make out in my ear. The restaurant goes dark and I am the only one in it now. I look around desperately. This feels like a bad dream, but I know what to do in this situation.

I close my eyes and take slow and steady deep breaths. I try to keep them as quiet as possible so nobody will hear or suspect something's wrong. I open my eyes to see everything is back to normal. A couple of seconds later Ruby comes back out of the door with a box of doughnuts.

"That'll be 7 dollars!" She hands me the box of doughnuts and I give her the 20 dollar bill. She goes over to the register and gets me my change.

"Have a nice day!" She says cheerily.

"You too." I mutter as I walk out of the door. I walk back over to the police station and see Mr. Gold talking to Emma. I have the urge to throw the box of pastry on the ground and run away.

"Hey, Rose." Emma says and Mr. Gold turns to face me as well. "Hello." He says with the same questioning expression from yesterday.

I set the doughnuts down on the desk next to me, "I don't want to interrupt or anything."

Emma looks a Mr. Gold, slightly narrowing her eyes, "Actually Mr. Gold was just leaving." I look back at his eyes and feel my throat tighten. _Maybe he knows what happened to your mother, _That was a different voice, a kinder one. I rarely heard much from it nowadays though.

"I guess I am." He smiles in my direction and limps out with his cane. When he is gone I sit back in the chair I was sitting in earlier. I eat two chocolate doughnuts while Emma works on a mountain of paperwork. There is a large cell across the room and I wonder how embarrassing it must be to have to stay in there, no privacy at all. I lean back in the chair and try to close my eyes.

However, when I try to close them I see frightening images that my mind creates. I suddenly feel tense, I need a release.

"Emma, May I use the restroom?" She looks startled at the sudden noise at first but nods and says, "It's down the hall on the right, there's a sign so you can't miss it." I get up and try not to break into a sprint to get there. I lock the restroom door behind me and pull my hair back into a ponytail with the same hair band from yesterday that I was wearing on my wrist.

I lean over the toilet and force my index finger down my throat. It takes about 5 seconds before I am able to vomit out whatever is in my stomach. I repeat this process until I am just dry heaving. I flush the toilet and wash my hands repeatedly. I gargle and drink some water from the faucet, wipe the tears from my eyes, and put my hair back to the way it was before I came in. I leave the bathroom feeling nauseous but satisfied.

The endorphins start to kick in half way back to the office. I get back in and Emma is exactly the way I left her. She looks up, "Do you like to read?"

Reading is my favorite thing in the world honestly. I picked up the habit of escaping into another world when I'm unhappy from my mother. I just haven't had anything to read in a long time.

"Yes" I say instead of going into my extreme love for literature and boring her to death. She beams and says, "The library here isn't open but Mr. Gold's shop, which is right down the street, sells some old books. I'll give you some money!"

_Again, she's just trying to get rid of you._

I ignore the tormenting voice and nod eagerly. Despite being weirded out by Mr. Gold I would kill for a good book. She gives me another 20 dollars and I start walking down the street. This time I'm just as anxious as before, but at least I'm going to get a book out of this... Not just some doughnuts to puke up later.

It seems to have gotten colder and my nose becomes chilly. It's October and the leaves are crunching under my shoes as I walk down the sidewalk. I finally get to Mr. Gold's antique store and am greeted by warmer air when I step inside. There is a bell above the door that sounds a lot like the one at Granny's.

The place is packed with old things that I've never seen before. Mr. Gold walks out of a room behind the glass cases and he looks surprised to see me. I smile though I'm scared out of my mind. I don't like new places.

"Hello, Rose. What can I do for you?"

"I'm actually here looking for a book. I don't really have anything to do at the station with Emma and the Library isn't open so..." I feel proud for only having slightly rambled. Another strange expression crosses his features that looks like a mixture of sadness, and curiosity.

"I have a large the selection of old books here." He smiles and walks over to a case of large books across the room and unlocks it with a small key from his pocket. I see one of my favorite books immediately and gasp as I carefully pull it out of the shelf.

"Alice in Wonderland. I like that one too." He says

I unconsciously hug the book to my chest and say, "My mother used to read this one to me all the time." I beam at him and offer him the 20 dollar bill. He takes it and gives me 10 dollars back from the register.

"Would you mind if I looked around a bit more? I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to go back into the cold." I give a small laugh and he nods as he sits down at a chair behind the vintage register. I look into the glass case and see strange, old artifacts.

_You should ask him if he knew your mom._ A voice suddenly says. I feel anxiety creep back into my body and I hug the book a bit tighter as if I can draw Alice's bravery from the book and put it into myself. I bite my lip and look up to see him looking at me with the curious expression again.

"Did know my mom?" I ask suddenly and I almost melt from embarrassment right there.

_ Really? You sound like a creep._ I try to fix it when I see his confused expression, "I mean, you look at me like you've seen me before. I was just wondering if you knew my mom. I look a lot like her..." _Fuck, you made it worse. _I sigh and wait for an answer to my train-wreck of a question.

"What's her name?" He asks delicately, probably sensing my discomfort.

"Her name is Amber. I haven't seen her in a long time." Oh god, this is way to awkward. Instead of acting strangely he looks disappointed, "No, I'm sorry. I don't know anyone named Amber."

I smile, "No it's fine. I was just curious. Thank you for the book, Mr. Gold! I'll see you as soon as I'm done with this one." I laugh lightly even though I feel like jumping off a bridge.

"Alright see you soon, Dearie." He grins and I leave the store, clinging to my book like it is my lifeline.

_Wow, it's actually painful to watch you try to interact with people._

_**Shut up.**_

I rarely give the voices the satisfaction of an answer but I'm already beating myself up about the conversation with Gold (If you can even call it that). I wring my hands and walk swiftly back to the station with my new book under my arm.

_Run._ The voice suddenly says, almost making me jump out of my skin. It speaks with such urgency that I almost obey but instead I keep trudging forward to Emma's office. I get back in the room and see Emma talking on the phone. She turns around when she hears me enter and says into the phone, "Hey, Mary Margret? Yeah, yeah, can we talk later? Okay. Bye."

She hangs up and turns to face me, "Did you get a book?"

I hold up Alice in Wonderland and give her the change, "Thank you. This is my favorite book." I sit down and look at the clock on the wall, it's 3:00 pm. I didn't realize how fast time flew by.

"I have to stay until 5, but Mary Margret just got off work so she's coming to pick you up and take you home. Is that alright with you?" Emma leans back on her desk and grabs a mug of coffee beside her. I nod in understanding and she takes a sip of her hot drink. I lean back in the chair and thank my lucky stars that Emma isn't talkative. I close my eyes just as I hear the door opening.

My eyes spring open and I nearly jump up but immediately calm down when I see it's just Mary Margret. _Don't let your guard down, everyone wants you dead._

I internally roll my eyes at the irrationality of the voice but can't help feeling a little fear from its words.

"Hello, Rose! How was your day?" Mary Margret claps her hands together and beams at me with a smile that was so large it looks painful. I give her an awkward half-smile, "It was fine, I got a new book." I show her the dusty old book.

"Wow. That's awesome! Do you want to head out now?"

I nod and we get outside and start walking back to Mary Margret's apartment. She tries to make conversation and I try to answer her questions as best I can but I have a feeling of dread settling in the pit of my stomach. I feel my heart become heavy and my world becomes a bit hazy. Depression at it's finest.

_**Oh, wonderful,**_ I think to myself.

_You should ask her to take you back to your old home, you can get your razors. _

_**I can't do that. I have things in there that I'm not proud of. Things from my past.**_ I can feel myself slipping into a darker mindset and the urge to cut becomes stronger.

_Who cares what she thinks? You need this. Either you get her to take you or sneak out and go by yourself. Don't be a pussy._

I sigh and I see Mary Margret stiffen, "Oh god, I'm rambling aren't I? I'm sorry." She covers her face in embarrassment briefly before looking at me with her big brown eyes, as if asking for forgiveness.

"What? No, no. It's totally fine! My mind wandered, I wasn't frustrated with you." I assure her. She looks relieved but her expression quickly transforms into worry.

"What's bothering you?" She asks. _Jesus Christ, this bitch is nosey. _I fluster at the redness of the statement that echos in my ears. "I don't know, it's probably the weather." I evade her question casually.

I very well could have told her everything that is bothering me. Or I would've told her that I wanted the things from my old "home", but I didn't. I'm a coward. She gives me a sad smile and we approach her apartment. We get inside and I take off my shoes at the front door. Before she can say anything I start going upstairs to my room.

I close all the curtains and curl into a fetal position on the bed. I see a shadow out of the corner of my eye and hear soft whispering voices in my ear. I feel a tickling up and down my arms and legs like spiders and ants. I run my hands through my hair, slightly pulling at the roots. I scratch my legs and feel a warmth on my fingers and look down to see they are covered in blood.

I pull off the blanket to see my legs covered in blood and bugs burrowing in my skin. I bite back a scream, squeeze my eyes shut, and take ten deep breaths. When I open my eyes everything is back to normal but the room seems even darker. I walk up to the window and open the curtains to see it has gotten much darker outside. The clock on my dresser reads, 6:30.

I must've fallen asleep while calming myself or maybe that was a nightmare, I cannot be sure. I turn on the lamp on my bedside table and I look in the mirror to wipe the black makeup from under my eyes and flatten my hair back down. I adjust my wrinkled clothes and head downstairs to see Mary Margret stir-frying some beef. Emma is sitting at the table, drinking a cup of water and chatting with Mary Margret. Emma notices me ascending the stairs, "Hey, Rose. How was your nap?"

"It was fine, thank you." I lie. I sit down at the table across from Emma. Mary Margret smiles in my direction and returns to her cooking._ These woman are creepily kind to you. Don't trust them._

There's a knock at the door and I tense up. Emma gets up to get the door and I watch the her warily. The smell of the cooking meat drifts all around the apartment, making me hungry. Emma looks through the peep-hole and since her back is facing me I can't see her reaction, which leaves me in fear. I can just imagine one of my old customers barging in and killing us.

Or my drug dealer whom I owe money too. Emma opens the door and Henry is standing there with a large grin plastered on his face.

Emma sighs and crosses her arms around her chest, "Henry, does your mother know you're here?" I hear Mary Margret take the pan off the stove and begin draining the juices in the sink. Henry poorly evades the question, "What's for dinner?"

After several seconds of hesitation Emma stands aside, allowing him in. "Tacos." She says in defeat.

Henry waves at me and I wave back. He sits down at the table next to me and Emma mutters something incomprehensible before going into the kitchen to aid Mary Margret. "What did you do today?" Henry asks me while folding his hands on the table. He has dark brown hair and looks about ten or eleven years old.

I can see the resemblance between him and Emma quite clearly. I briefly wonder who his father is but remember that he's still waiting for an answer from me, "I-I went with your mom to the station."

"Cool! I think it's awesome that she's the Sheriff! Did you any thing else?" He pries. I am about to deny doing anything else when I remember my book is upstairs. _**Kid's like fairy tales, right?**_ "One second, I'll show you something I got."

I race up the stairs and grab the book on my bed. I come back downstairs and sit next to him and place the book on the table. "I bought a new book from Mr. Gold's shop."

He looks at the old hard-cover book with wonder shining in his dark eyes. "Alice in Wonderland." He reads aloud. I smile and say, "It's my favorite. Do you like fairy tales?"

He beams at me with wide eyes, "I love them! They're my favorite too. How long have you liked them?" Despite the weirdness of the question I grin back and say, "As long as I can remember. I used to read them a lot with my mom."

He then swings his backpack on the table and pulls out a large book that is titled, Once Upon a Time. I smile at his excitement over the book. I'm happy that I found something in common with him.

"Do you believe in fairy tales?" He asks carefully. I furrow my brow and smile sadly at him, "Do you?" _Way to avoid the question Rose. Bravo._

He nods his head vigorously. I don't want to hurt his feelings or make him seem crazy so instead I say, "Well, I don't know. I'm open to believing in anything."

He then looks like I just said he can have candy for dinner. "Do you want to read some of my book?" He asks happily. I agree reluctantly and he pushes his book towards me and watches me enthusiastically. I open to the first page and begin reading. I skim through most of the long parts, becoming self-conscious over Henry's watchful gaze. I get about one-quarter of the way into the book when Mary Margret announces that dinner is ready.

I get up and make my plate and move the book back into Henry's backpack so it won't get food on it. I just got two tacos with meat and cheese in them. I settle down and break off a piece of the taco shell while waiting for everybody else to sit down. I nibble on the piece and once everyone is settled I wait until everyone else is eating to chow down. I fill my recently emptied stomach and finish before the others. I flush and tug on the sleeves of my hoodie while waiting for them to finish.

"Do you want anymore?" Mary Margret asks politely when she notices my staring at my lap nervously. I shake my head, "No, thank you though." I look back down at my lap and Emma finally speaks up, "Maybe we should watch a movie or something tonight." Henry looks up excitedly from his plate and we all agree to rent a movie, On Demand.

When everyone is finished Mary Margret and Emma collect the used dishes and silverware and head to the sink. When I ask if they want help they decline my offer and tell me to keep Henry company. I head to the couch and rest my head against the cushion. Henry comes and sits next to me and turns the TV on. We begin watching some Disney cartoon and I even manage to laugh a few times at the random humor.

About two episodes in of the show Emma and Mary Margret come in with four bowls of chocolate ice cream. I thank them profusely and scooch over on the sofa so we can all fit. Emma grabs the remote and we pick a family friendly comedy to watch. I don't pay attention to the plot much but I mindlessly eat my ice cream, listen to the noises of the TV, and rest my eyes. By the end of the movie Henry is asleep and Emma is gently shaking him awake to take him home.

I get up, stretch, and yawn to make it as obvious as I can that I'm tired. "Are you going to bed?" Mary Margret asks kindly.

"Yeah, I've had a long day." I smile and tell her goodnight as I go up the stairs. I get back in the room and as soon as the door closes behind me I feel the floor sway beneath my feet. I grab the dresser and carefully walk over to the bed. I sit down on it and look up at the ceiling to see a face with long black hair and a stretched mouth staring at me. _Are you going to get the razors? You need them._

The face says without moving its lips from its wide state. The image keeps refocusing and flickering, causing my head to pound. "I will soon. I have to wait for them to be asleep." I say in a whisper.

The face twists into one of a scowl and disappears. I let out a shaky breath and lean back on the pillows. I think of calming thoughts and realize I'm gripping my new book to my chest again. I don't even remember grabbing it from downstairs. I get up and but the book on the bedside table. I get undressed and study my body briefly in the mirror.

Pink scars cover my arms and legs but there are also some littered across my stomach and under my breasts. I put on a pink knee-length nightgown and go into the bathroom across the hall. There is shampoo, conditioner, and body wash on the sink and I turn on the water to the hottest temperature it can go. I step in and wince at the burning water but quickly become accustomed to it. My skin turns a shade of pink and I shampoo my long hair.

I quickly rinse it out and run a handful of conditioner through it. I leave it in and let the steaming water hit my body for a while. I wash out the conditioner and scrub my body and face with the soap. I rinse off once more before stepping out of the shower. I dry my body as best I can and wrap a large towel around myself.

I squeeze my hair out in the sink and wrap it up in a smaller towel. I use the bathroom and brush my teeth. Finally I put the nightgown over my head with the towel still wrapped around my head. When I'm back in the bedroom I read my book for about an hour and shut off the lights. I wait for one more hour until I put my clothes back on and creep down the stairs.

I walk right by Emma, who is sleeping on the couch and grab the set of keys to the apartment on the counter. I open the door and it is completely silent.

_Walk quieter!_

_**Shut the fuck up! I am walking quietly.**_

I close the door behind me and the only noise it makes is a little 'click.' I sigh and tip toe down the stairs of the apartment building until I finally make it outside. It's completely dark and I start walking in the direction of the docks.


	5. Chapter 5

** A Rose's Thorns Chapter 5**

By: victorious_1314

**AU:**_ Hey, sorry this took so long for me to put up -.-" Thank you so much for the support! There will be some Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold POV in here! P.S. I just want to give yet another warning that there will be self harm, rape, and mental disorder references in this series so if you're triggered by that sort of thing please do not continue reading. A lot of stuff is going to happen in this chapter. Be ready for a lot of story development. ~victorious1314_

**Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold's POV**

When I first saw her I couldn't believe my eyes. Everything seemed to stand still, time, my thoughts, even my heart. Then I started noticing the little things like the shade of brown her eyes are or the darkness of her hair. _She isn't Belle_, I realized. But the similarity is uncanny. She has the same facial features other than her eyes. I had to introduce myself, I couldn't continue staring at her like a fool.

I waited until they were ordering their food to approach the table. _Is this the girl I heard about from Regina? The girl who was running from Emma? The one who was hurt?_ Regina had come to me in anger when she discovered there was someone in the town she didn't know about.

She assumed I had something to do with it, like it was some part of a mastermind plan to overpower her or something along those lines. Though I was as confused as she was by the sudden appearance of the girl. Regina told me that the girl was in the hospital and had no parents to claim her, I assumed she would be taken in by Mary Margret and Emma. They're too caring for their own good. I introduced myself but was met with a menacing glare from Emma and a frightened one from the girl whose name I had just figured out was, Rose.

I dismissed myself after the embarrassing encounter and left the restaurant. I went to the shop and went to the back in my private room. Now I take down a picture and undo the lock behind it on the wall. I open the safe and in the center of the cluttered objects is the chipped cup.

**Rose's POV**

I take the route where I won't be seen. I've lived on these streets for years, undetected so this is no hard task. My only fear is time now. I don't know if Mary Margret or Emma will go upstairs to check on me or not. Or what would happen if I get hurt or something and am not home by the morning so they send out a search party for me. _Who cares? You need this._

The voice really hasn't had any other argument for making me sneak out other than "You need this." _**Do I need this?**_ I almost stop walking to ponder but continue when I hear a loud voice yell, _Yes! You need your razors more than anything, especially now!_

I cut through a yard to save time and shiver from the cold and anxiety of running away. Even if I'm only going to be gone for a short period I still feel awful. I feel like I'm betraying Mary Margret and Emma's trust. Even after all they've done for me, clothed me, fed me, cared for me... I'm still a shitty person.

_Finally something we can agree on._

I ignore the ridicule and walk faster. I can smell the ocean and feel slightly relaxed from the familiarity of it. But stiffen when I see headlights from a car coming around the corner. I flatten myself against the closest building behind a tree. The car drives right on by without even noticing my presence.

I let out a breath of relief and close my eyes briefly. I continue walking and reach my old home. It's an old abandoned building with graffiti scribbled all along the outside. I pray to god that my things are there, untouched. I walk through the empty door frame and go into the farthest, darkest corner of the floor and see a dirty blanket covering a pile of things. I almost cry from the satisfaction of seeing everything just as I left it.

I take the blanket off of the pile and see my few possessions. I pick up my matted teddy bear and squeeze it to my chest. I shove the bear and my purse under my arm along with a picture of me and my mother and start to leave. Though I freeze when I see Todd in the doorway. He's wearing a dark blue beanie, a black shirt, and jeans. His black hair is ruffled and he has bloodshot eyes.

"I didn't think you were coming back to me, baby." He says in a dangerous tone. Todd is about 19 and is my ex-drug dealer. I've dealt with him before but I was not prepared for this meet tonight. I say nothing and clutch my bear and picture closer to my chest.

"Aw, why are you being so quiet? I thought we were closer than this." He takes a few steps closer and I back up against the wall. He shakes his head, "I hear you're staying with the Sheriff now. You better keep your mouth closed or you'll wish you were dead."

He switches his voice from patronizing to deadly in meer seconds. I grimace and fight the urge to puke as he takes several long strides closer to me and I can feel his hot breath hit my face.

"You owe me." He says with a growl and pins my arms against the wall behind me. My things fall to the ground. I whimper and say, "I don't have any money." He laughs and turns my head so I'm looking into his eyes, "I'm not asking for money." He throws me to the ground and I scream. He punches me in the stomach and I groan in pain but otherwise remain silent.

~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-~.-

He rolls off of me and stands up to put on his clothes. I curl into a ball and reach out for my bear. I pull it to me and he laughs, "Stupid bitch. Consider your debt paid, but if I hear anything about you reporting me to the police, your punishment will be much worse." He leaves me and I sit up from the cold and dirty ground.

I put on my clothes and gather my things again. _At least he used a condom._ I scowl at the statement and realize I forgot my shoes at the front door at Mary Margret's. The walk back is a blur and I tip toe back up the stairs and to my relief see Mary Margret and Emma still sound asleep. When I get back in my room I stuff the bear, purse, and picture under the bed after taking out my sharpest razor.

I take off my clothes and walk completely naked to the bathroom. I turn on the shower as hot as it will go again and scrub my skin and scalp until it's numb and red. I cut into my arms like its butter and feel no pain as the water runs red into the drain. I cut 10 even slices into each arm and 20 into each thigh. I cover my stomach in cuts that look like they need stitching and lean back into the tub, letting the blood run down my body and into the drain.

I stop the shower and fill up the tub and wait until I stop bleeding into the water to get out and dry off. I'm barely dry when I get back into the room and fall asleep, naked.

I wake up the next morning from Mary Margret opening the curtains. She says something about me going to the station with Emma again and I barely hear her and slowly nod. When she's gone I put on a red hoodie and a pair of black torn jeans. Before I leave the room I grab the picture of my mom and my razor. I brush my teeth and put on the same makeup from yesterday. I brush my hair and pull up the hood on the hoodie.

Downstairs Emma is drinking a cup of coffee with her keys in her hands. We leave, pick up Henry, and drop him off again before heading to the station. When we get inside she gives me twenty dollars and I leave to Granny's. I haven't had much thoughts of my own today, the voices are screaming over each other. _Don't go in there!_ One says as I enter the restaurant.

I continue anyways and am greeted at the doorway by Ruby again. "I love your jacket! Red's my favorite color if you couldn't tell." She laughs. I smile back and ask for another dozen doughnuts. She leaves and I stand there as the floor begins swaying again. I look around the restaurant and see everyone starting at me with sewn mouths and eyes. I gasp and turn away from them only to see Todd across the room, running at me. I hypervenalate and jump back and block my face with my arms only to bump into someone.

_How are you going to explain this one, Rose? 'Oh, sorry I didn't tell you guys but I see and hear things that aren't even there and was raped last night so my crazy-ness is kinda spiked up today' Good luck on that one._

I look around frantically for any sign of Todd and slowly turn around to see Mr. Gold trying his best to support my body with one arm and balance with his cane with the other. I quickly pull myself from him, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry Mr. Gold! I lost my balance. I-I didn't even know you were there!" I ramble, desperately trying to come up with a believable story.

"No, it's fine. Are you alright Rose?" He looks concerned but still caught off guard.

"I'm fine thank you. I was just dizzy." I lie. He studies my face and frowns, "Are you sure?" I smile back lightly and nod, "Yes I'm sure. Again, I am so sorry. But thank you for catching me, that probably would have hurt." I laugh and Ruby comes through the kitchen door with my box of muffins and I give her the money and she hands me back my change.

I thank her and say goodbye to Mr. Gold. I dig my nails into my hands as I walk back to the station. When I walk inside I bite my lip so hard I taste blood. I eat as much doughnuts as I can before feeling ill and go to the bathroom and vomit them all back up. I clean myself up and grip my hands on either side of the sink and give my reflection a look of hatred.

I grit my teeth and I feel a throbbing in my heart and my face crumples and I let out an agonising sob that shakes my entire body. I fall to the tiled floor and continue bawling as I pull up my sleeves and stare at my cuts and scars with hatred for my weaknesses.

I pull out my razor which I shoved into my pocket before leaving the apartment and cut into my arms. They aren't as deep as the ones from last night but they still bleed steadily. I hold towel to the slashes in my forearm until they stop bleeding and pull my sleeves back down.

I claw with my fingers at my heart and let out cries of emotional agony. My nails dig into my chest as if trying to rip out my heart for causing me this much pain. After several more minutes of sobbing I hear a knock at the bathroom door.

"Rose, are you okay in there?" It's Emma. She can't see me like this. _She'll lock you up._ I feel fear radiate through me and I wipe the tears from my eyes and say, "Y-yeah, I'm fine." I curse myself for my voice breaking.

"Can you let me in? I wanna talk." She says softly, though she seems nervous and out-of-place. I say nothing because I know it's too late. It's all going to come out now. I'm going to tell her everything, I can feel it. _** .Dare.**_ A voice screams in my head and I jump at the loudness of it but make sure my sleeves are pulled down all the way and open the door to see Emma.

"Mr. Gold told me you collapsed at Granny's. What happened?", She says as she offers her hand and she pulls me into the office where there is a half empty box of doughnuts on her desk. I sigh and sit in the chair, pushing my hair from my eyes and sniffling a bit. _**I won't tell her**_, I decide.

"I didn't sleep well. I miss my mom." I only partially lie. I do miss my mom but after the ordeal I went through last night I passed out in bed after the shower. I've learned to lie very well over the years but I can tell Emma sees right through me. She doesn't press over the matter after I command a tear to fall from eye.

She immediately seems uncomfortable and grabs a box of tissues from her desk and hands them to me. I swiftly wipe the fallen tear and look down at my hands.

"Do have any idea where she might have gone?" She asks in her 'Sheriff' voice. I shake my head and reach into my pocket, carefully avoiding getting cut by the razor in there, and hand her the picture of my mom. _She's going to take it._

"Maybe you could take a photo copy of it, or something." I hint. She studies the picture and frowns, "Where did you get this?" _Now you've fucked up._

"One of the nurses at the hospital found it in my jeans pockets before she got rid of the clothes" I pause, "...thankfully."

"That's strange, I asked them if there was anything that might tell me more about you... Well you know, other than talking to you personally."

"Well it was a last-minute-find." I smile and Emma looks back at the picture in her hand. "What was your mother's name?" She asks with a weird edge in her voice.

"Amber." It hurts to say her name but I keep a straight face, "Amber French." Emma studies my face again and says, "I'm going to photo-copy this, I'll be right back." She leaves and I let out a breath of relief. _After your little episode in the diner I thought you were done for. Good thing you have me to help you. _I lean back in the chair and try not to listen to the rambling voice that only I can hear. I never heard the voice before my mom left.

It constantly mocks and degrades me but I cannot bear to be without if for too long. I started smoking weed just to make it less loud for a while. Then I drank until I couldn't even hear it. I'd experimented with other drugs but just stuck with weed and alcohol. When Todd convinced me to try cocaine he took advantage of me so I don't like trying new things unless I'm alone or in a bad mind-set.

I miss pot the most though. It made me happy at times when I forgot that joy was an emotion I could actually experience. Emma walks back in the room with the crumpled photo of my mother in one hand and a copy of it in the other. She hands me back the original one. I put it back in my pocket and smile weakly at her. I realize I forgot to bring my book, which really defeats the purpose of buying it in the first place. Emma asks me a few more questions about my mom and when I last saw her. Then I remember, "My Grandfather lives in Storybrooke."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" She asks in an almost accusing manner. I bow my head in shame and mutter, "I never met him. He wasn't on good terms with my mother when she left and gave birth to me. He's never tried to contact me so I assumed he wasn't interested in me."

"What's his name?"

"Moe French, I think my mom mentioned him being a florist." My mom didn't like to talk about him. My memories seem distant, blurred, and unnatural, but I assume it's from the years of substance abuse. Emma's eyes widen as she takes in the new information and starts calling someone on the phone. I look at my hands and pick at a hangnail while listening to what Emma says on the phone.

"No one is picking up. I'm going over to the flower shop to see where he is." Emma says as she hangs up with a look of exasperation. "Will you be alright here by yourself for a while? I'll leave you some money if you get hungry."

I smile nervously and nod in affirmation.

She leaves ten dollars on her desk, grabs her coat and leaves. I let out a shaky sigh and bury my face in my hands. I grit my teeth and feel like I'm on a boat with the way the floor seems to sway. I grab the photo of my mother and I and start to calm down slightly. I grab some water from the bubbler and pace back and forth while taking small sips from the paper cup.

I didn't think I would ever see my Grandfather. _He probably doesn't even know you exist, and when he finds out he'll be disappointed. You have no one. _I groan and continue pacing and waiting for Emma to get back.

**Emma's POV**

I leave the station in a hurry and get start my miniature yellow car. Moe French was an older, seemingly friendly man. If he's really Rose's grandfather then he has legal guardianship of her. She'd only have to live with him for two years until she turned eighteen. I'm not sure she would be happy with staying with an old man who her mother probably didn't speak highly of.

I arrive at the flower shop and park along the curb. I walk inside the modest store, "Hello? Moe, are you here?" I yell towards the back of the establishment. No one answers so I walk around the counter that displays hundreds of flowers. The smell of perfumed plants is almost intoxicating.

The lights are on in the back room and I search for any sign of Moe. I walk past his desk and stop in my tracks. Moe's car keys are there. I quirk my eyebrow in suspicion and look for any clues that might tell me where he might've gone. I assume he left in a hurry because the sign out front still said "Open."

I walk around the corner that leads to the back door that is ajar and letting the cold air in and the warm air out.

"What?" I mummer to myself. There is definitely something wrong here. I walk out the door and see the back parking lot. It looks deserted except for Moe's van. I shake my head, walk back through the store and get in my car again. I wait outside his shop for a while until I grow sick of waiting. _I'm sure everything's fine. I'll just call him later. _

I start driving away when I remember earlier today Mr. Gold got into a fight with Moe. Gold had a look in his eyes that he wasn't just angry about Moe stealing from him or something. I start driving towards Gold's shop. When I get there I park my car and go inside. The chirpy bell sounds when I enter and I ignore the "Closed" sign.

"Gold?" I say. There is no answer so I creep through the store and peer into the back to see if he is there and just didn't hear me. Mr. Gold is nowhere to be found so I sigh in defeat and decide to go back to Rose and call Moe later. Gold's shop is full of rather unusual antiques, antiques that most people would probably view as garbage.

I leave and decide to go for a drive into the woods to think before returning to Rose. I drive down the road which seems to get more bumpy as I get farther towards the wilderness. So much has happened in the past week. I took in a seventeen year old girl with Mary Margret whose mother is missing. I want to help her find her mom but I don't even know where to look.

Maybe her mother doesn't even want to be found, in that case we're wasting our time and energy. I unroll the windows to allow some of the cool autumn air into the yellow bug car. I pass a small cottage and a man's scream makes me almost lose control of the car. I pull over and jump out before I can decide to do different. I put my hand on my gun holster and run towards the cottage.

The walls are brick and it looks abandoned on closer inspection. As I get closer I hear another man's voice and a loud banging. I crouch and draw my gun as I approach an empty doorway. What I see makes my heart stop and my body go rigid.

Mr. Gold is beating a tied up Moe French with his cane.


End file.
